Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 1:2-6
In tracing Jesus’ genealogy, why did Matthew begin with Abraham rather than with Adam, as Luke did? Matthew wanted to show Jesus’ Jewish heritage, and to do this he only needed to go back as far as Abraham, the father of the Jewish race. Significantly, Matthew called him Abraham rather than Abram. The longer name connotes the covenant privileges that God made to Abraham when He changed his name.The writer separated Judah and his brothers (Matthew 1:2) because the messianic promise of rulership... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 1:1-17
A. The King’s genealogy 1:1-17 (cf. Luke 3:23-38)Matthew began his Gospel with a record of Jesus’ genealogy because the Christians claimed that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. To qualify as such He had to be a Jew from the royal line of David (Isaiah 9:6-7). Matthew’s genealogy proves that Jesus descended not only from Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation, but also from David, the founder of Israel’s royal dynasty. read more